Europe, South America
Portuguese translation and interpreting services
Certified Portuguese translation and professional Portuguese interpreters for government agencies, courts, healthcare, schools, and employers, in Brazilian or European Portuguese to match the people you serve.
Portuguese, in its own words
Português
Todos os seres humanos nascem livres e iguais em dignidade e em direitos.
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
Brazil and Portugal, word by word
Brazilian and European Portuguese share a grammar and, since the spelling agreement, most of their spelling. Everyday vocabulary still splits. Each pair below is from the Priberam dictionary, which marks the words used in Brazil and their equivalents in Portugal.
| Brazil | Portugal | English |
|---|---|---|
| ônibus | autocarro | bus |
| trem | comboio | train |
| celular | telemóvel | cell phone |
| tela | ecrã | screen |
| geladeira | frigorífico | refrigerator |
| banheiro | casa de banho | bathroom |
Some words cross the Atlantic with a different meaning. In Portugal, “banheiro” is a lifeguard, and “fato,” the Brazilian spelling of “fact,” is a suit. That is why we ask whether your readers are Brazilian or Portuguese before we translate.
Portuguese in Colorado
Our headquarters is in Aurora, in the Denver metro area, so we schedule on-site Portuguese interpreters across Colorado and nationwide, for immigration interviews, medical visits, training programs, and meetings with Brazilian partners.
- Colorado
- 11,594 Coloradans age 5 and older speak Portuguese at home[9] source
- Denver metro
- 7,137 of them live in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area, about 6 in 10 of the state’s Portuguese speakers[9] source
Portuguese in the United States
4 in 10 U.S. residents who speak Portuguese at home live in Massachusetts or Florida.[1] source
- Speakers at home
- 1.1 million people age 5 and older speak Portuguese at home (1,099,503 in 2024)[1] source
- Limited English
- 394,010 of them, 36 percent, speak English less than “very well”[1] source
- Largest communities
- Massachusetts (247,638 speakers), Florida (210,218), New Jersey (100,104), and California (90,179); the largest metro areas are Boston, New York, Miami, and Providence[1] source
- Immigration courts
- Third most common language in U.S. immigration court initial case completions in FY 2024 (16,437), after Spanish and English[2] source
- Heritage
- 1,370,146 U.S. residents report Portuguese ancestry and 624,383 report Brazilian ancestry; ancestry is not the same as the language spoken at home[3] source
- Cape Verdean is separate
- Census tables count Kabuverdianu (Cape Verdean Creole) as its own language, with about 27,450 speakers in 2017–2021[4] source
What good Portuguese translation takes
pt-BRpt-PT
Brazil or Portugal
Formal writing in the two standards is mutually intelligible, but readers notice the difference in everyday words, as the pairs above show. Tell us where your readers are from, and we match the standard: Brazilian Portuguese for Brazilian communities and customers, European Portuguese for Portugal.
está dançandoestá a dançar
The grammar differs, too
Brazilians write “ela está dançando” for “she is dancing,” where Portugal writes “ela está a dançar.” Brazilian Portuguese also usually places pronouns before the verb, as in “ele me viu,” where European Portuguese writes “ele viu-me.” A translation that mixes the two reads as foreign in both countries.
fatofacto
The spelling agreement did not erase every split
The 1990 Orthographic Agreement, in force in Brazil since 2009 and in Portugal since its transition ended in 2015, removed most spelling differences, such as the silent c in acção. It kept both forms where pronunciation differs: fato in Brazil, facto in Portugal, both meaning “fact.”
Joana Melo Almeida
Names follow a different order from Spanish
In Portuguese names, the mother’s surname usually comes before the father’s, the reverse of Spanish custom. A daughter of José Santos Almeida and Maria Abreu Melo could be Joana Melo Almeida. Certified translations keep every name exactly as written, so records match across agencies.
More Portuguese services
Portuguese simultaneous interpreting and equipment
Portuguese interpreters plus receivers, headsets, and booths for conferences, technical meetings, and delegations with Brazilian or Portuguese participants.
Certified translation of Brazilian and Portuguese records
Birth and marriage certificates, diplomas, and court records for USCIS, courts, and schools, with a signed statement of accuracy.
Brazilian or European Portuguese websites
Websites and portals in the standard your market reads, with menus, screens, and forms in that country’s vocabulary.
Portuguese interpreters
Our Portuguese interpreters work in person, by phone, and by video, in consecutive and simultaneous modes. We match each assignment to the setting, with court-certified or credentialed interpreters where the work requires them, send briefing materials ahead so interpreters arrive prepared, and assign a team for long or simultaneous sessions. Every Portuguese interpreter is background-checked and bound by a confidentiality agreement.
Portuguese translation services
Our Portuguese translators work into and out of English and other languages, following an ISO 17100 process: translation by a qualified linguist, then revision by a second linguist before delivery. Certified translations include a signed statement of accuracy, and files move through our encrypted client portal.
What we translate in Portuguese
- Birth, marriage, and death certificates
- Diplomas, transcripts, and immigration documents
- Contracts, court filings, and legal evidence
- Medical records and patient materials
- Technical manuals and safety documents
- Websites, software, and training content
Why agencies choose us for Portuguese
Our Portuguese team carries the credentials courts, hospitals, and agencies ask for.
Court-certified interpreters
Portuguese interpreters certified by the Colorado Judicial Branch, for hearings, depositions, and attorney–client meetings.
CCHI-certified medical interpreters
Medical interpreters nationally certified by the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters.
ATA-certified translators
Portuguese translators certified by the American Translators Association.
Translation Excellence, Inc. was a great partner in our weeklong international conference. They were very responsive to our questions and planning and went out of their way to understand the variety of our needs. The translators and technical services coordinators were professional, courteous and prompt. Thank you Translation Excellence for a successful event!
Everything went GREAT! The interpreters were very professional and accommodating. The translators were very engaged and interested in our conference as well.
Our Portuguese work
Selected Portuguese projects for our clients.
- County human services agenciesVideo and on-site Portuguese interpreting.
- Municipal courtsOn-site and phone Portuguese interpreting.
- Federal agenciesVideo Portuguese interpreting.
- Federal contractorsSimultaneous Portuguese interpreting.
- JBS USAPortuguese simultaneous interpreting and equipment for a weeklong conference of U.S. and Brazilian executives.
- World Council of Credit UnionsPortuguese translation and simultaneous interpreting at a conference of more than 3,100 participants at the Colorado Convention Center.
Who relies on our Portuguese linguists
Healthcare
Patient forms, discharge instructions, and portal content, plus Portuguese interpreters for appointments in person, by phone, or by video.
Courts and legal
Certified translation of evidence and filings, and Portuguese interpreters for hearings, depositions, and attorney meetings.
Immigration documents
Certified translations of Brazilian and Portuguese civil records, diplomas, and supporting documents for USCIS filings.
Schools
Enrollment packets, report cards, and parent notices, and interpreters for parent-teacher conferences.
Employers
Safety training and handbooks for Portuguese-speaking crews in construction, manufacturing, and service work.
Business with Brazil and Portugal
Contracts, product content, and marketing localized for Brazilian or European Portuguese markets.
Portuguese translation and interpreting FAQs
Should our Portuguese translation be Brazilian or European Portuguese?
Match the readers. Content for Brazilian communities in the United States, or for customers in Brazil, should be in Brazilian Portuguese; content for readers in Portugal, or for families from Portugal, in European Portuguese. If the audience is mixed, we recommend Brazilian Portuguese, the larger standard.
Is Cape Verdean Creole the same as Portuguese?
No. Cape Verdean Creole (Kabuverdianu) draws much of its vocabulary from Portuguese but is a separate language, and the Census counts it separately. Many Cape Verdeans read Portuguese, but for interpreting, confirm which language the person understands best.
Why do Portuguese names on our records look out of order?
Because the order differs from Spanish and English custom: the mother’s surname usually comes first and the father’s last. A certified translation keeps the full name exactly as on the source document, so you can match it against passports and other records.
Do you provide certified Portuguese translation?
Yes. Certified Portuguese translations include a signed statement that the translation is complete and accurate, the format courts, schools, and immigration authorities such as USCIS require.
How much does Portuguese translation cost?
Price depends on the word count, subject matter, deadline, and whether you need certification. Send your files for a fixed quote and delivery date, with no obligation.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year, Table B16001: Language spoken at home by ability to speak English (national, state, and metro) (opens in a new tab)
- U.S. Department of Justice, EOIR Adjudication Statistics, Top 10 Languages for Initial Case Completions, FY 2024 (data generated October 10, 2024) (opens in a new tab)
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year, Table B04006: People reporting ancestry (opens in a new tab)
- U.S. Census Bureau, Detailed Languages Spoken at Home and Ability to Speak English: 2017–2021 (Table 1, Nation) (opens in a new tab)
- Portuguese Language Orthographic Agreement of 1990 (opens in a new tab)
- Brazilian Portuguese (differences from European Portuguese) (opens in a new tab)
- Portuguese name (opens in a new tab)
- OHCHR, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Portuguese (opens in a new tab)
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year, Table B16001: Colorado and the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area (opens in a new tab)
- Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa: ônibus / ónibus (opens in a new tab)
- Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa: autocarro (opens in a new tab)
- Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa: trem (opens in a new tab)
- Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa: comboio (opens in a new tab)
- Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa: celular (opens in a new tab)
- Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa: telemóvel (opens in a new tab)
- Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa: tela (opens in a new tab)
- Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa: geladeira (opens in a new tab)
- Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa: frigorífico (opens in a new tab)
- Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa: banheiro (opens in a new tab)
- Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa: fato (opens in a new tab)
Tell us what’s at stake. We’ll show you how we’d handle it.
Send your files or describe your event. A language specialist replies with a fixed quote and a delivery date, with no obligation.
Prefer to call? 720-325-0459